Copycat Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, Inspired by Olive Garden
Inspired by, not official: crispy Parmesan-panko chicken and shrimp tossed with spaghetti or bucatini in a reduced cream, bacon and Parmesan sauce with roasted red peppers, a "carbonara" made with no eggs at all.
Inspired by Olive Garden; not an official Olive Garden recipe. Taste of Home's test kitchen built this copycat of the chain's chicken and shrimp carbonara, and its write-up points out something that makes it a perfect third plate next to the two carbonaras in this hub: there are no eggs. The editors say they checked Olive Garden's allergen information and found that the restaurant's version does not contain eggs either, so they left them out. We did not check Olive Garden's allergen list ourselves.
What it has instead is cream reduced by half with bacon drippings and garlic, finished with butter, Parmesan and milk, plus crisp Parmesan-crusted chicken, shrimp and strips of roasted red pepper. Taste of Home recommends bucatini, whose hollow center soaks up sauce, and says plainly that the chain "isn't exactly known for being authentic." Next to Roman Spaghetti alla Carbonara, it shows how far one name can travel.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Inspired by, not official: crispy Parmesan-panko chicken and shrimp tossed with spaghetti or bucatini in a reduced cream, bacon and Parmesan sauce with roasted red peppers, a "carbonara" made with no eggs at all.
🇮🇹 The original
In Rome carbonara is only guanciale, egg yolks, pecorino and black pepper, tossed off the heat into a glossy sauce. No cream, no chicken, no shrimp. See the Roman Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Guanciale, Egg Yolks, Pecorino, No Cream) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Cream reduced by half
Simmering the cream with garlic in bacon fat thickens it on its own, so the sauce clings like carbonara without any egg to scramble.
Parmesan in the breading
Cheese in the panko browns and crisps against the pan, which is why Taste of Home says to leave the chicken alone until it releases.
Step by step
- Step 1
Pound the chicken to 1/2 inch with a meat mallet and cut it into even 3-inch strips. Whisk the flour, salt and pepper in one shallow bowl, put the milk in a second, and stir the Parmesan into the panko in a third. Dredge each strip in flour, dip in milk and press into the crumbs. Let the chicken rest 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken in batches 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until golden and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 170°F oven.
- Step 3
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes. Keep 1/2 cup of the water and drain. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, about 8 minutes, until crisp. Drain it on paper towels and pour off all but 1 tbsp of the drippings.
- Step 4
Add the cream and garlic to the drippings and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced by half and it coats the back of a spoon. Crumble the bacon.
- Step 5
Stir in the butter, Parmesan, bacon, parsley and salt, then the milk and enough pasta water to make a smooth sauce. Add the shrimp and heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Step 6
Add the pasta and red pepper strips and toss to coat. Gently fold in the chicken.
- Step 7
Serve topped with more Parmesan and parsley.
Copycat Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, Inspired by Olive Garden
Serves 6 · 6 plates · 55 min total
Crispy chicken
- 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
Pasta and sauce
- 1 package (16 oz) spaghetti or bucatini
- 4 bacon strips
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1 lb peeled and deveined cooked shrimp (26 to 30 per pound)
- 1/2 cup roasted sweet red pepper strips
Method
- Pound the chicken to 1/2 inch with a meat mallet and cut it into even 3-inch strips. Whisk the flour, salt and pepper in one shallow bowl, put the milk in a second, and stir the Parmesan into the panko in a third. Dredge each strip in flour, dip in milk and press into the crumbs. Let the chicken rest 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken in batches 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until golden and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a 170°F oven.
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, usually 9 to 11 minutes. Keep 1/2 cup of the water and drain. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, about 8 minutes, until crisp. Drain it on paper towels and pour off all but 1 tbsp of the drippings.
- Add the cream and garlic to the drippings and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced by half and it coats the back of a spoon. Crumble the bacon.
- Stir in the butter, Parmesan, bacon, parsley and salt, then the milk and enough pasta water to make a smooth sauce. Add the shrimp and heat through, about 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta and red pepper strips and toss to coat. Gently fold in the chicken.
- Serve topped with more Parmesan and parsley.
Adapted from Lauren Habermehl, "Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara," Taste of Home (published May 7, 2024, updated June 19, 2024), 6 servings. We follow it as written: 3/4 lb chicken pounded to 1/2 inch and cut in 3-inch strips; a flour, milk and Parmesan-panko breading rested 10 minutes; 1/4 cup oil over medium-high, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, turning once; a 170°F oven to keep warm; 1 lb spaghetti or bucatini; 4 bacon strips with 1 tbsp drippings kept; 1 cup cream and garlic reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes; butter, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, 1/2 cup milk and pasta water; 1 lb cooked shrimp; 1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips. The 165°F check for the chicken and the bacon time are ours. Inspired by, not official. Taste of Home. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (1)
Tips
- Pound and cut the chicken evenly so every piece finishes frying at the same time.
- Do not rush the reduction; Taste of Home calls it the key to a thick sauce.
- Toss the drained pasta with a teaspoon of olive oil and cover it so it does not stick while you finish the sauce.
- Inspired by, not official: no Olive Garden branding, logos or packaging in any image.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Carbonara must have eggs. Disputed: every Roman source in this hub says yes; Taste of Home reports that Olive Garden's carbonara has none, per the chain's allergen information (not checked by us).
- This tastes like the restaurant's. Folklore: Taste of Home's copycat is its own test-kitchen version, not the chain's recipe.
- Bucatini holds sauce better than spaghetti. Folklore as a rule: Taste of Home recommends it for its hollow center; spaghetti works too.
Every other pasta
Roman Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Guanciale, Egg Yolks, Pecorino, No Cream)
Spaghetti tossed with crisp guanciale and its fat, then stirred over a pot of boiling pasta water with egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano and coarse black pepper until the eggs thicken into a glossy sauce, with no cream at all.
Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, the Amatrice Way (No Onion, No Garlic)
The recipe the town of Amatrice publishes: guanciale browned in an iron pan with a piece of chile and a splash of white wine, peeled tomatoes simmered briefly, and spaghetti tossed first with a heap of grated pecorino, then with the sauce.
Cacio e Pepe (Pecorino and Black Pepper, the Never-Clumps Method)
Spaghetti in a smooth, sharp sauce of nothing but Pecorino Romano, toasted black pepper and pasta water, held together by a teaspoon of cooked cornstarch so it cannot seize into clumps.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
A 20-minute pantry sauce: garlic and anchovies sizzled slowly in plenty of olive oil, then capers, black olives and hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, with the spaghetti finished in the pan.
Spaghetti alle Vongole in Bianco (Spaghetti with Fresh Clams)
Live clams steamed open in olive oil, garlic, chile and white wine, the meat pulled from most of the shells, and spaghetti finished in the briny juices with parsley and a fresh drizzle of oil.
Trenette al Pesto with Potatoes and Green Beans (Genoa)
Genoese basil pesto pounded in a mortar from garlic, pine nuts, basil, Parmigiano, sheep's cheese and mild olive oil, tossed with trenette boiled in the same pot as cubes of potato and short lengths of green bean.
American Fettuccine Carbonara with Bacon, Cream and Peas
Fettuccine in a creamy sauce of half-and-half and tempered eggs cooked to 160°F, with crisp bacon, onion, garlic, Romano and sweet green peas: the carbonara most Americans grew up with, made on purpose.
Penne alla Vodka
A smooth, blush-orange sauce of slowly softened onion, a whole tube of tomato paste, canned tomatoes and heavy cream, blended silky, spiked with a quarter cup of vodka and finished with Parmigiano on penne or rigatoni.
Baked Ziti (No-Boil, with Ricotta and Mozzarella)
Ziti soaked in hot salted water instead of boiled, stirred into red sauce with ricotta, Parmigiano, eggs, cream, herbs and cubes of mozzarella, then baked covered and uncovered at 400°F until bubbling and browned.
Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
Shrimp quickly brined and seared, then tossed back into linguine with a silky sauce of olive oil, a lot of garlic, chile, dry vermouth, butter and lemon, finished with parsley.
Chicken Parmesan over Spaghetti
Thin chicken cutlets soaked in garlicky buttermilk, coated in crumbs of dried Italian bread and Parmesan, shallow-fried crisp, then baked at 425°F under red sauce and fresh mozzarella and served on a bed of spaghetti.
Linguine with White Clam Sauce (Canned Clams)
The pantry clam sauce: canned clams and bottled clam juice simmered with butter, celery, shallots, garlic, parsley and a splash of soy sauce, with linguine finished in the broth and lemon wedges on the side.
Pasta Primavera (Spring Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Creme Fraiche)
Fresh egg pasta with blanched fava beans, peas, asparagus, snap peas and broccolini, tossed with butter, garlic-scented pine nuts, creme fraiche, lemon, basil, parsley and Parmigiano: a lighter, greener take on Le Cirque's famous 1970s dish.
Weeknight Blistered Cherry Tomato Pasta
Two pints of cherry tomatoes cooked in garlicky olive oil until they burst into a sweet, creamy sauce, tossed with pasta, fresh basil and Parmesan while the pasta boils in a skillet: about 25 minutes, start to finish.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.